A place where the elders, ministers, and ministry leaders of the Southeastern Church of Christ can share how God is working in their lives as they strive to serve the church that He has placed in their care.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

We are joining together from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on
the third Sunday of May, June, July, August, and September for summer
fellowship consisting of body and soul refreshment. Our September evening meal will
end our monthly “Summer Manna” fellowship for 2014.

We will gather in the fellowship hall for worship
service. There we will offer our praise in song to our Lord, and enjoy a word
of encouragement, lifting up prayers of thanksgiving for our blessings and
seeking grace for the family and loved ones who have needs in their lives. Ephesians 5:19-20 Speak to one
another... Always giving thanks

to God...

Acts 2:42 They devoted
themselves...

After worship we will enjoy a meal that has been prepared
by the saints of our family, to satisfy the needs of our body and prepare us
for ...

Fun for the soul with the brothers and sisters of all
ages. There will be activities for the young at heart and the elder in mind to
mix and match together in fellowship with the family.

Hebrews 10:24-25 Let
us spur one another toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together...

This will be a time for all to get to know and love
one another in a casual setting. A common core of being like in mind to bond in
His way of devotion.

Matthew
5:16 says let your light shine for all to see.

Where is a better place to let our light
shine for our community than in the open grounds of the church yard?

Philippians:
2:2 Encourage one another in fellowship
with the spirit...

Hebrews
13:1-2 Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not
forget to entertain

Thursday, May 8, 2014

You’ve all heard the term “Comfort Zone” and know what it
means.It relates to doing something you
usually don’t do; something new or something you don’t like to do; something
that makes you uncomfortable.Recently I
was in a situation that was way out of my comfort zone.Let me tell you how it came about.My grandson, Alexander Faidley (aka Zander), is a Music Composition major at
LipscombUniversity
in Nashville.Last year we attended a recital where his
compositions were played by a cello, flute, and piano.At that time I casually said, “Why don’t you
write a piece for clarinet and ol’ grampa will come down and play it.”(If you don’t know, I do play clarinet and
have been in the Greater Greenwood Community Band the last four years).Well, guess what – he did!Zander wrote a three piece sonata for
clarinet and piano.He gave me the music
during Christmas break to see if I could play it.Well, after putting my foot in my mouth, I
couldn’t say “No”.One problem.Some parts of the pieces were quite
technically difficult!But yours truly
practiced and practiced and practiced.I
didn’t want to embarrass my grandson after the honor of being asked. Another problem.I hadn’t played with piano accompaniment
since I was a senior in high school.I
was waaaay out of my comfort zone – a difficult solo; a formal presentation;
working with an accompanist; and having an audience.I did have the opportunity of practicing
twice with the pianists (a different pianist for each musical piece).That’s enough of my story – I’ll just say
that the concert went off rather well.

[When was the last time
you were out of your comfort zone, and what was it?]

[Another point:Be careful what you ask for; you may get it!]

I tell you this personal story just to
set the stage for an area where most of us feel “out of our comfort zone”.What am I talking about?I’m
talking about ourability to share
with people in some way that we are Christians (Jesus Christ followers).That we live by and take our position on
matters based on Biblical standards.

I know; I know – many of you are
thinking, “I live as a Christian and people can see that in me.”But do people really know why you speak and
act as you do?I’m just asking you to rethink
the situation. Is this really enough?What stops you and me from telling people that we are Christians or
telling people our Christian view on issues?[This is an area obviously very important to me, for I’ve written about
it before.]

*
First of all; if you say nothing from a Christian standpoint, people may think
you don’t care or that your position is weak or that you agree with a
non-Christian position.

What may stop us?(I’m talking to myself
also in all this)

- Perhaps we’re not used to stating our
position and why (out of our comfort zone).We can begin!Do it anyway!

- We’re embarrassed – Do it anyway!

- In today’s world it’s not PC
(Politically Correct) – I say poppycock to that; do it anyway!Just simply state your position in a calm,
succinct way. If people want to pursue it further, they’ll ask you something.

- “I don’t know enough”.Do it anyway; it may open the door to more
discussion.You can look things up
together.

- Perhaps you’re just not sure yourself
as to what you believe.Keep
searching!Study, ask strong Christians,
and pray about it.

-Perhaps
you’re intimidated.Don’t be.You should have confidence in your position.Again, just state it.[It does help to think about various topics
ahead of time and plan what you would say.[Scripture on preparation]

* (I Peter 3:15 says, “Always beprepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for thehope that
you have.But do this with gentleness
and respect.”).

I would personally add that this day and time you
often can’t wait for someone to ask you what you think. You have to
interject it – be bold enough to state it. [Scriptures on boldness]

* (II
Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give
us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self
discipline.”).

You must
always remember that we have the Holy Spirit of God helping us in the timing of
when to speak and the very words we use.Remember to pray for this divine help!

- Perhaps you’re “socially
prohibited”.What do I mean?Perhaps you want to “fit in” to a group and
don’t want them to think you’re “too religious”.If this is the case, you do need to make some
important decisions.

- “I just don’t know what to say or how
to do it.”Start simply, easily.You don’t have to give a sermon or a
discourse on various topics.You’ll know
if someone wants to really discuss the matter further.If they do, go for it.

- “So and so intimidates me”.Pray for boldness again, and just simply
state your belief and why.

The current situation in our country is
laden with so much anti-Christian rhetoric and so many anti-Christian
activities and judicial decisions. Because of these I think it’s much more
important now than at any time in my life to state that we’re a Christian and
that’s why we take the position we do.Only you have the
contacts and associations that you have.No one else.It’s up to you to be
a Christian voice to them. Yes, it’s your responsibility.We are Christ’s ambassadors, His
representatives, His witnesses, His messengers, His voice for today’s world.

[There’s
a very good book entitled, “The Unexpected Adventure”, by Lee Strobel and
Mark Mittelberg, that gives specific life situations and how they communicated
Christ in the ‘marketplace’].